


Helping Paw

by Mattecat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, focus on f/f, focus on female character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-19 23:28:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/578809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattecat/pseuds/Mattecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A week after Terezi's accident that leaves her blind, Nepeta tries to contact her again and finally succeeds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Helping Paw

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY FIXED THE FORMATTING ERRORS HOORAY.

She had been able to get Nepeta to join in one FLARP session – Equius wouldn't let her join in any more than that. It's far too dangerous, he told her. Terezi thinks this is ridiculous, and she doesn't quite understand why Nepeta listens to him. The session they have is loads of fun, even if Nepeta spends most of the game goofing off, and meanwhile, Terezi and Vriska manage to get in a kill for Vriska's lusus. Nepeta was a little upset at the loss of her clouding partner, but she got over it. If she had stayed on, she would've been the purrfect (hehehe!) lure for unsuspecting villains to join their game, drawn in by her seeming naivety and weakness, while the renowned Scourge Sisters would home in for the kill. It would have been great, if Equius hadn't put his foot down.

Though now, lying in her hive and staring at the ceiling with sightless eyes, she wonders if Equius wasn't right all along. What would've happened to Nepeta if Vriska had gotten hold of her? Terezi imagines Nepeta lying at the bottom of the cliff with her legs paralyzed. It's not a happy thought.

The beeping of her computer snaps her out of this train of thought. She sighs, and stands up to feel her way to her husktop. Though it's been a few days since Vriska had enacted her revenge and left her out in the forest, Terezi still hasn't quite gotten the hang of seeing with smell and taste. Making her way back from the forest, she had been fueled by fear and adrenaline, with her lusus there to guide her, and the path back home had smelled so sharp and clear. Once safely back, it all faded again to a blurry mess of colors and shapes that she still can't quite make out. It's hard leaving the hive for food, and even harder trying to talk to her friends, one of which is surely trying to troll her now. It's been a long, long time since Terezi has spoken or met with anyone, and she's lonely.

Once she reaches her husktop, she gives the screen a close sniff. It's a bit of a struggle distinguishing all the colors from one another, but she can make out the open trollian window and the olive-green text inside of it. Nepeta? Speak of the devil. She hasn't heard from Nepeta since... well, since before the chain of revenge started. She wonders if maybe she should've checked up on her before, just to make sure that Vriska wouldn't go after her, but it's a silly thought. Obviously she's alive and well, if she's trolling her, and besides, why would she be a target? She had nothing to do with this whole mess.

Still, Terezi can't say she isn't glad to hear from her.

Her sense of smell will only get her so far. Terezi takes a deep breath, remembers what her lusus told her, and leans forward, giving the screen a good, long lick. Now the olive-green lines stand out more sharply, and she can make out a few words here and there. It's difficult, so, so, difficult, but she's learning.

AC: :33 < terezi!  
AC: :33 < are you ok? no one's telling me anything! equius told me that you blew up vriskas arm and eye and she got revenge somehow but i thought she couldnt control you!  
AC: :33 < are you being mind-controlled by vriska? did she make you jump off a cliff too?  
AC: :33 < i'm sorry but im really worried! i dont know what happened to aradia either, but i think its something bad  
AC: :33 < *the fierce lioness sits at the entrance to the dragons cavern, carrying a prey offering in one mouth and calling out with the other*  
AC: :33 < terezi??  
GC: T7BGE9EA5T  
AC: :33 < what?

Ok. Try again. She knows you're ok now, that's what's important. Terezi squints at her keyboard, realizes that will solve nothing, and licks it instead.

GC: H1 N3P3TA  
AC: :33 < terezi!!!!  
AC: :33 < *the lioness places her purrey down respectfully and gr33ts the dragoness with an enormous pounce!*  
GC: SORRY 5BOUT TH4T  
GC: *4BPOYT  
GC: SH1T  
AC: :33 < *after giving her a thorough washing with both mouths, ac sits back on her paws and gives gc a fierce tongue lashing!*  
AC: :33 < where were you?? you haven't answered any of my trolling for nearly a w33k!  
GC: 1VE H4D SOM3 PROM\BL3MS  
AC: :33 < but you couldve said something! anything! ive b33n completely in the dark!  
AC: :33 < i even tried talking to vriska to s33 if she would tell me anything  
GC: OK L3T'S NOT FO TH5R5  
AC: :33 < what did she do to you?? it is terrible? is that why you haven't been answering? oh gosh is there anything i can do?  
GC: LOOK N3P3TA  
GC: 1TS NOT TH4T B5D  
GC: HON3STLY 1 SHOULD PROM4BLY TH4NK H3R  
GC: 1N F4CT 1 TH1NK 1 W1LL 4FT3R 1 G3T TH3 H4MG OF 1T  
GC: BUT SH3 BL1ND3D M3  
AC: :33 < what?!  
AC: :33 < youre blind!!  
GC: LOOK 1T'S NOT 34 B1F D44L  
AC: :33 < yes it is!  
AC: s33 i am even going to drop my cute little kitty face just to show you how much of a big deal it is  
AC: actually i think i will drop the 33s too! this is serious serious no-quirk talk  
GC: N3P3T4 C5LM DOQN!  
GC: >:[  
AC: do not use that face with me!  
GC: >:[ >:[ >:]  
GC: OOPS  
GC: *>:[  
AC: you cant even get the face right! i cant take you seriously if you dont get the face right  
GC: 1 F1X3D 1T, W1LL YOU T4K3 M3 S4R1OUSLY NOQ  
AC: *ac is not done with her tongue lashing! in fact, she never stopped*  
GC: N3P3T4 1 DON'T G4T HOW SUP3R S23R1OUS T4LK 1NVOLV3S ROL3PL4Y1NG  
AC: it is my comfort zone  
GC: OH MY GOD

Terezi sighs. This conversation is not going as well as she expected. Nepeta isn't stupid, she knows that FLARP is dangerous and Vriska is dangerous and sometimes people get hurt bad, but right now she just isn't making any sense. Sympathy? Yeah, maybe she expected a little of that. Not this complete nonsense that's coming from her. What she wants to do is walk over to her and slap some sense into her, but she settles for typing out a response instead.

GC: N3P3T4  
GC: STOP WH4T3V3R S1LLY TH1NG YOU'R3 TYP1NG  
GC: JUST STOP  
GC: ST3P 4Q4Y FROM TH3 K3YBO5RD  
GC: 4ND H34R M3 OUT  
GC: 1M NOT 4CTU4LLY COMPL3G3LY BL1ND  
GC: MY LUSUS 1S T34CHING M3 HOW TO S44 W1TH MY OTH3R S4NS3D  
GC: *S3NS3S  
GC: TH3Y 4R3N'T P3RF3CT Y3T BUT 1'M G3TT1NG TH3R3  
GC: 1F 1 W3R3 4CTU4LLY BL1ND, 1 WOULDN'T B4 4BL3 TO S33 TH3 SCR33N >:[  
GC: YOU KN3W TH4T, R1GHT

She has to wait a while for a response, but it's a relief when it finally comes.

AC: :33 < yes  
GC: QU1RK 1S B4CK, TH4T'S A GOOD S1NG  
AC: :33 < ok so i freaked out a little there  
AC: :33 < but come on! one of my friends is paralyzed another might be dead for real and then you don't answer for days and  
AC: XOO < blaaarhgaskjdflgfh;ldjhdfl;gdgfh;;;;;jdddhsfg  
GC: 4R3 YOU OL  
GC: *OJ  
GC: 1 G1V3 YP  
AC: :33 < h33h33  
AC: :33 < yes i am fine  
AC: :33 < but you said youre still having some purroblems right?  
GC: NOT R34LLY 4CTU4LLY  
AC: :33 < well if you were could i do anything to help?  
AC: :33 < do you need food? i could hunt for you! or just help you around or something  
GC: N3P3T4 4R3 YOU S5Y1NG YOU W4NT TO COM4 OV3R TO MY H1V4  
AC: :33 < yes

"No" is Terezi's first thought. She's been doing fine on her own so far; she has enough food that she can last until she can see clearly, or smell clearly, or whatever new word she's supposed to use to describe the new smells and tastes of the world she's been introduced to. Nepeta's a good hunter, sure, but she doesn't need someone to bring her raw meat every day. To her, Nepeta's request sounds suspiciously like she wants to come over and expose her to the "tongue lashing" she mentioned in her RPing. But then Nepeta keeps typing, so she holds her tongue.

AC: :33 < i mean, i know you have other friends now and thats ok  
AC: :33 < but weve still b33n friends for a long time right? but we havent s33n each other in purrson for a long time!  
AC: :33 < i was just thinking that maybe i could come over and just help you and then maybe we could just be together and  
AC: :33 < aaaaaah this is coming out all wrong!  
GC: WG4T  
AC: :33 < um  
GC: YOU'R3 4CT1NG STR4NG33R TH4N USU4L  
GC: 4ND TH3T'S S4Y1NG SOM4TH1NG  
AC: :33 < ok let me try something else  
GC: OK BUT M4K3 1T SN4PPY  
AC: :33 < aaaaaaah!  
AC: :33 < so you know my shipping charts?  
GC: 4LL OF 4LT3RN14 KNOWS 4BOUT YOUR SH1PP1NG CH4RTS  
AC: :33 < shush i am trying to talk  
GC: YOU 4SK3D 4 QU3ST1ON  
AC: :33 < not the point!  
AC: :33 < so i ship all of us! in only the red quadrants of course, i dont see why we need to deal with the black ones just yet  
GC: >:[  
AC: :33 < i told you to stop that face!  
AC: :33 < so i ship you with some people and me with some people and you nearly died and i wanted to tell you that i ship us together flushed because what if i didnt get a chance and what if you play flarp again and i dont get a chance and aaaaaaaah!

Oh.

Okay.

Terezi laughs at first, because it's just so silly! They're barely six sweeps, the two of them, it'll be a long time before they have to worry about the drones coming for them, and here Nepeta was confessing her flushed feelings. They're too young for this, she thinks, but clearly Nepeta doesn't think so, with all her intricate shipping diagrams. (At least, Terezi assumes they're intricate. She's never seen them in person, and now she supposes she never will, but with all she's been told about Nepeta's "wall" all she can think of is some huge chart with lines and arrows pointing every which way. She has a feeling she'll be awfully disappointed later on.)

AC: :33 < terezi? are you there?

Laughing is also a way for her to focus on anything but what Nepeta just told her. How is she supposed to respond to this? Despite the loneliness she had felt before, it was almost nice to have a break from life and just sit around her hive all day, without having to worry about FLARP or dead friends or anything else. Now Nepeta is being completely ungracious to a blind girl and sending her heart into all sorts of confusion, and she supposes that yes, she did almost die but that's no reason to drop this on her while she's trying to sort out her feelings towards Vriska and doesn't need anyone else butting in, even if yes, maybe she does like Nepeta just a little bit.

AC: :33 < its ok if you dont f33l like that! its just a shipping wall, i can change it

Because Nepeta is fun, and not dangerous like FLARP and Vriska was. Nepeta may kill huge animals with her bare hands, but she'd never turn her claws on another troll unless they were a threat to her or her friends. She makes shipping charts with all her friends and creates long roleplaying plots. She's safe, and maybe something safe is what Terezi needs.

AC: :33 < and i dont have to come over! we can just rp like usual, thats ok too!

She's hot, too. Terezi can't deny that. When they first met in person, she had expected her to be some cute, cat-like troll, but instead, Terezi got a girl dressed up in the skins of wild animals and claws the size of her hand, who grinned a fierce, wildcat grin and pounced on her.

GC: DON'T WORRY, 1'M NOT GO1NG TO PL4Y FL4RP 4G41N  
AC: :33 < well good!  
AC: :33 < lets stick to furriendly roleplaying, where nobody dies or gets hurt  
AC: :33 < but um  
AC: :33 < what about the offur things i said?  
GC: TH3 P4RT WH3R3 YOU 4R3 SWOON1NG FOR YOUR M4J3ST1C DR4GON SU1TOR?  
AC: :33 < 33333333k!  
GC: YOU CAN COM3 OV3R >:]  
AC: :33 < really?  
GC: Y3P!  
GC: BUT DON'T TRY TO H3LP M3 TOO MUCH  
GC: TH1S 1S R34LLY 1MPORTANT, MY LUSUS S4YS 1'VE GOT TO L34RN TH1S ON MY OWN  
AC: :33 < well i think youre doing pawsitively excellent! you havent made a typo in a while  
GC: TH4NL YOU  
GC: W41T SH1T  
AC: :33 < h33h33!  
AC: :33 < and youre ok?  
GC: W1TH WH4T  
AC: :33 < the swooning?  
GC: NO N3P3T4, 1 4M NOT OK, 1 4M 1NV1T1NG YOU OV3R SO W3 C4N S1T ON OPPOS1T3 S1D3S OF TH3 ROOM 4LL D4Y  
GC: >:] > :] >:] > :]  
AC: :33 < um  
GC: L3T'S H4V3 SLOPPY M4K3OUTS 4T MY H1V3  
AC: :33 < oh!  
AC: :33 < terezi!  
GC: D1D YOU NOT NOT1C3 TH3 3Y3BROWS  
GC: T1M3S 4 W4ST1NG  
AC: :33 < im coming! j33z!  
AC: :33 < s33 you soon!  
GC: S33 YOU SOON!


End file.
